Christopher Harborne, proprietor of the Thailand-based aviation gas dealer AML World Ltd., has filed a lawsuit in opposition to The Wall Avenue Journal (WSJ), accusing the publication of defamation.
The authorized motion, initiated in a Delaware state court docket on Feb. 28, targets allegations made in a WSJ article from March 2023, which Harborne claims falsely accused him and his firm of partaking in unlawful actions in reference to stablecoin issuer Tether and crypto trade Bitfinex.
The disputed article, titled “Crypto Firms Behind Tether Used Falsified Paperwork and Shell Firms to Get Financial institution Accounts,” reported that Tether and Bitfinex, dealing with challenges in accessing the worldwide banking system, allegedly resorted to utilizing intermediaries, creating shell corporations, and falsifying paperwork.
In accordance with Harborne’s lawsuit, the article wrongfully implicated him and AML World in “committing fraud, laundering cash, and financing terrorists.” The WSJ later added an editor’s word to the article on Feb. 21, 2024, per week earlier than the lawsuit was filed, stating {that a} part relating to Harborne and AML World had been eliminated to keep away from any potential implication of wrongdoing of their try and open an account at Signature Financial institution.
Wall Avenue Journal responds
The WSJ has responded to the lawsuit, stating that after Harborne and AML World disputed the reporting about them, the publication reviewed and eliminated the part in query, adhering to their editorial requirements. The newspaper additionally criticized the lawsuit for holding what it calls “inaccuracies and distortions” and expressed its intention to mount a sturdy authorized protection.
Harborne’s connection to Bitfinex is highlighted within the lawsuit as a roughly 12% possession stake, which he acquired by Bitfinex’s reimbursement plan for patrons affected by a 2016 hack of the crypto trade. The lawsuit clarifies that Harborne has by no means held any administration or government function at Bitfinex or Tether, figuring out him as a minority shareholder.
